Re: Why do bottles improve after opening?

Originally Posted by dcam1075

With some of my bottles that are less than half full I have put the vacuvin Wine style stoppers on them. What is the consensus on this? It definitely removes all the air from the bottle but I also wonder if this also removes some of the alcohol vapor and if that is more detrimental than having a lot of air in there. Overall I have not noticed any issues but not sure what long term affect this may have.

Not a consensus, but I use the vacuvin stoppers as replacements for either loose corks or corks that broke (just to keep the seal). I honestly don't think it does any more than a solid screwcap would do, which in my book is just fine.

Gary (aka 'Country')=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
"Too much of anything is bad, but too much of good whiskey is barely enough." - Mark Twain
"Because Whiskey Matters!" - David Perkins

Re: Why do bottles improve after opening?

Here's my two-cents worth (& that's probably over-estimating it's value):
I imagine that Bourbon in the barrel, gently breathing over the months, gets 'accustomed' to that amount of air (oxygen), then when it's sealed up in a bottle it quickly 'uses' up the tiny amount of oxygen in the neck and becomes a little 'stale'. This effect is obviously different-to-non-existent in some Bourbons, and a bit more obvious in others. I find it most pronounced in aged wheaters, just my own experience. The only bottle I ever had go significantly downhill after sitting with a lot of air in it was a bottle 4-R limited Edition from about 4-years ago, after about a year of being half-full.

Re: Why do bottles improve after opening?

The answer is simple. All bottles of alcohol improve after opening, just as all women become hotter after you have drink alcohol. Everything just gets better. Kind like a bottle of shampoo. Lather, rinse, repeat. Uncork, drink, repeat. Keep repeating until you get the desired result.

Re: Why do bottles improve after opening?

Re: Why do bottles improve after opening?

Originally Posted by Restaurant man

Howdy,

I have bottles that have been open for years with no diminishing returns. Some have only a few ounces in them. I got no worries. Not saying that Oxegyn has no effect over time. Just little or none. And it never goes weird or bad at my house. Just sayin....

That has been my experience, as well. I don't necessarily think that there isn't any change at all but I think the changes that a bourbon undergoes with airtime is much more subtle than the day-to-day changes that the drinker's palate undergoes.